Sonic Avenues blasts out with a garage power pop twist that complements the legacy left by The Exploding Hearts rather nicely—they do an excellent job with poppy yet twisted, snotty distorted vocals that are coupled with a raw, ’77-influenced punk sound. To get the idea of this fuzzy barrage, I recommend starting with the garage-influenced number, “Automatic.” Closely follow this prescription with the power pop numbers “New Vogues” and “Teenage Brain.” Unfortunately, after a few tracks in, one can generally get the idea behind the album. It’s fun, fast and energetic—but I’ve heard it before. –Nick Kuzmack